neophyte
by fall from stars
Summary: ONESHOT—“That’s my name,” he said, warm with fever and amnesia. “Commit it to memory.” [Axel]


**A/N:**So I actually wrote this ages ago, like last May, but only recently did I think of putting it up here. Mostly because Xemnas and Xaldin are possibly OOC due to lack of intelligent vocabularies, but I do try. I ran them through a thesaurus, but the entire thing still doesn't feel right. Axel's just fine and not his usual self since he's still new and wouldn't be like "Rawr, I kick ass," first thing, but any help on the two X-boys would rock hardcore. Thanks, and remember that reviews make me smile.

**Neophyte**

When they first bring him to the World That Never Was, he is a sorry wreck of a Nobody. He is shivering beneath the neon-lit towers as rain falls from the cold, fruitless moon. The starry sky makes him look far more pale than he actually is, his bright hair wet and hanging in heavy waves down his back. Dark lines of jester's makeup are underneath his unusually colored eyes. His body is thin and small with want of food. Small flames flicker from time to time on his palms, a promise of what he might be able to do.

"Do we have to keep him?" Xaldin asks his leader as he drapes the newcomer's skinny arm over his shoulder, his own dark dreadlocks tangling with the other Nobody's flame-red hair. "He doesn't look like he'll last much longer."

"He could be useful someday. Don't doubt him when you've never held a conversation with him. We were all like this in the beginning," Xemnas replies sternly. "I hope you haven't forgotten how pathetic _you_ looked when you first came here."

Xaldin glowers angrily at his Superior but says nothing. He dutifully continues to bring the Nobody deeper into this in-between world that was never supposed to be born. Puddles form in the sidewalks that are crowded with things that are broken down and irreversible. Neon lights flash and glow in the deep and dark night, sometimes going dark and making the streets shiver. They come to Memory's Skyscraper to seek shelter from the rain, which is bogging down their long, black robes.

Xaldin sets the new Nobody down on the cold sidewalk. He shivers helplessly and breathes heavily, but purses his lips and says nothing. His makeup begins to run down his face like dark tears. Xemnas forces the newcomer to look up at him. From behind his cloak, he nods to Xaldin in approval when he sees that the newcomer isn't afraid.

"What is your name?" the Superior asks the Nobody. The redhead does not respond, choosing instead to cling to the cement. His eyes are swimming in sleep, his forehead is hot with fever. His breathing is labored and heavy and his body looks brittle, as if it might break to the touch.

"If we're going to keep him, like you want, we'd better skip the formalities," Xaldin suggests to his Superior, his eyes averted out of respect. On the sidewalk, the redhead is gasping for air, fighting a desperate battle against the heat within.

"Xemnas, please," Xaldin continues over the redhead's noise. "He hasn't much time left. He needs the attention of—"

"Axel," the Nobody wheezes suddenly. "My name is Axel."

He is unsure as he says it, as if he does not know what his name is at all. Axel frowns after saying his name, which does not suit him. _His face is meant to smile_, Xemnas thinks suddenly, though he doesn't know why. _I should know by now that Nobodies are not meant to smile_, he reminds himself. _They can smile when they have a heart. They can smile when they are whole again._

"Axel?" Xemnas repeats, seeing the green eyes go slightly out of focus. He begins to reach for the redhead, but Axel winces away from the black hands. He looks up to the sky, seeing the clouds blend with the neon lights, his vision blurred by wet fever.

"Yeah," says the Nobody through his haze, his eyes focusing on Xaldin instead of Xemnas. Xaldin shrugs apologetically at his Superior, turning to Axel when he sees his lips moving again. "Axel...that's my name. Commit it to memory."

"If that's what you want," Xaldin says quickly, deciding that the strange request is due to his fever. Both of the Organization members exchange a quick glance, agreeing to get him to the Castle without saying a word. They both reach for him, twin sets of black hands set against the cloudy sky. Inferior Nobodies and weak Heartless fight meaningless battles behind them, though none of the three turn their attention to what is beneath them.

"I want to go…home," Axel says weakly. His voice is breathy, labored with exhaustion. "Do you know where home is, huh? I can't…can't remember…"

"We're bringing you home," Xemnas says apathetically, knowing that his lie sounds too much like a promise. "You'll be there soon. They're waiting for you."

"Thanks…owe you one," Axel says, a weak grin coloring his face before he passes out. Xaldin tries to shake him conscious again, but it is no use. Axel's lost in a consciousness of second-hand, slightly used memories. He won't wake for a long time, and only when he wakes again can he prove himself of any use.

Xemnas and Xaldin lift Axel up, splitting his weight between them, each with a skinny arm around their shoulders. The Nobodies and Heartless dash away from the members as they approach the dark alleyways, Shadows vanishing into the sidewalk and Dusks floating haphazardly away.

Six more black cloaks appear when they see Xemnas and Xaldin escorting their unconscious newcomer to the castle. A passerby would have thought that it was a funeral procession.

But there were no passersby in this in-between world, in the World That Never Was.

---


End file.
